“Do you like doing things for people?” I asked a friend.
“Yes, most of the time,” she replied.
“Most of the time?”
“Well, I love to do things that are unexpected. I like to do little things most people wouldn't think about doing,” she said.
“But why did you say most of the time?”
“Well, sometimes after doing those little things people take advantage of you. I mean, they expect you to do it again. They ask you to do it. That’s when I don’t like it.”
It was odd that I had this conversation. This just happened to me. I love to do little things. I will pay for a meal card for the people in the office every time we have a meeting there. Not a big thing. It’s a little thing. $5.30 will pay for almost five lunches. Hey, big spender!
I also bought a bag of animal crackers for a friend at work. She was having a tough day and not very happy at all. I drove down to the Wal-Mart and picked up a huge bag for under $2.00. Her smile was worth it.
But one week she said, “Bob, we ran out of crackers. We love them so much.” I didn't want to do it. I smiled and she persisted. I finally admitted, “It’s different when I do it because I want to, but now you are trying to make me go to get them. It’s not the same.” But I bought it for her.
Unfortunately, a big fire in my family took away all the possessions we had. I didn’t know what to do and how to do it. What happened to me then surprised me most. I once had my bike repaired, but the repairman said “no charge” on hearing my sufferings. A stranger called James Kennedy read some pieces I’d written about our sufferings for Slate, the online magazine, and wanted to give us a new house across the lake from New Orleans. I refused but I felt moved. Another poet at the University of Florida also wanted to let his house to me free of charge while he was on holiday. My mates gave us more money for us to rebuild my home. When you do something kind for others, do you always get rewarded? Yes, but not in the way you might expect.What’s the main purpose of the first paragraph?
| A.To tell the background of the story. |
| B.To attract the attention of the readers. |
| C.To get the readers to know main idea directly. |
| D.To explain the reasons why he wrote the passage. |
What do we know about James Kennedy?
| A.He was a writer of an online magazine. |
| B.He was also a poet at the University of Florida. |
| C.He offered the author a new house free of charge. |
| D.He learned about the author’s sufferings online. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A.Misfortune of blessing on happiness. |
| B.Never too late to learn. |
| C.Helping others means helping yourself. |
| D.Many hands make the work lighter. |
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出一个最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The key to happiness is how quickly you can get back your focus on what`s important.
——Anonymous
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here`s what happened. I hopped in a taxi,and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when,all of a sudden,a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes,skidded,and missed the other car`s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car,who almost caused a big accident,started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean,he was friendly. So,I said,"Why did you just do that?This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck. "
Many people are like garbage (rubbish)trucks. They run around full of garbage,full of frus-tration, full of anger,and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up,they need a place to dump it. And if you let them,they`ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you,don`t take it personally. You just smile,wave,wish them well,and move on. You`ll be happy with what you did.
I started thinking,how often do I led Garbage Trucks run right over me?And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people ai work,at home,or on the streets?It was that day
I said,"I`m not going to do anymore. "
Successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you?If you let more garbage trucks pass you by,you`ll be happier. Life`s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So,Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don`t.
56.What happened one day when the author was taking a taxi?
A.The taxi almost hit another car.
B.The taxi driver was injured.
C.The author scolded the driver of the other car.
D.The author learned a lesson from the driver of the garbage truck.
57.How did the taxi driver respond to the behaviour of the driver of the black car?
A.He yelled back at the driver.
B.He sent the driver to the hospital.
C.He was friendly towards the driver.
D.He dumped some garbage in front of his car.
58.What does the taxi driver think of people according to Paragraph 3?
A.Many people like to drive garbage trucks.
B.Many people dump garbage wherever they like.
C.Many people are warm-hearted to make others happy.
D.Many people tend to be very much depressed.
59.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A.The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks.
B.The author used to complain a lot.
C.The author used to have a lot of money.
D.The author used to be a good manager.
60.According to the passage,what should you do if people "dump garbage" on you?
A.Ignore them and go on with our own work.
B.Try our best to persuade them not to do that again.
C.Tell them to dump the garbage in the right place.
D.Take over their work and carry the garbage to somewhere else.
Silence is unnatural to man. He begins life with a cry and ends it in stillness. In between he does all he can to make a noise in the world, and he fears silence more than anything else. Even his conversation is an attempt to prevent a fearful silence. If he is introduced to another person, and a number of pauses occur in the conversation, he regards himself as a failure, a worthless person, and is full of envy of the emptiest-headed chatterbox. He knows that ninety nine percent of human conversation means no more than the buzzing of a fly, but he is anxious to join in the buzz and to prove that he is a man and not a waxwork figure(蜡塑人像).
The aim of conversation is not, for the most part, to communicate ideas; it is to keep up the buzzing sound. There are, it must be admitted, different qualities of buzz; there is even a buzz that is as annoying as the continuous noise made by a mosquito(蚊子). But at a dinner party one would rather be a mosquito than a quiet person. Most buzzing, fortunately, is pleasant to the ear, and some of it is pleasant even to the mind. He would be a foolish man if he waited until he had a wise thought to take pert in the buzzing with his neighbors.
Those who hate to pick up the weather as a conversational opening seem to me not to know the reason why human beings wish to talk. Very few human beings join in a conversation in the hope of learning anything new. Some of them are content if they are merely allowed to go on making a noise into other people’s ears, though they have nothing to tell them except that they have seen two or three new plays or that they had food in a Swiss hotel. At the end of an evening during which they have said nothing meaningful for a long time, they just prove themselves to be successful conversationists.
72. According to the author, people make conversation to_________.
A. exchange ideas B. prove their value
C. achieve success in life D. overcome their fear of silence
73. By “the buzzing of a fly
” (Para. 1),the author means “_________”.
A. the noise of an insect B. a low whispering sound
C. meaningless talks D. the voice of a chatterbox
74. According to the passage, people usually talk to their neighbors_________.
A. about whatever they have prepared B. about whatever they want to
C. in the hope of learning something new D. in the hope of getting on well
75. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. To discuss why people like talking about weather
B. To encourage people to join in conversations
C. To persuade people to stop making noises
D. To explain why people keep talking
He’s an old cobbler (修鞋匠) with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven't time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street;
he'll fix
them for you right away.
But I’d had my eye on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with t
ools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman (手艺人). “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can’t do it well. ”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-
U-wait” — without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap (鞋带) you might as well just throw away the pair.
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled. He wiped his hands on his blue apron (围裙), looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said,“Come back in a week. ”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.
“See what I can do?” he said with pride. “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work. ”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption (消费) rather than a way to realize their own abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.
68. Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?
A. He was equipped with the best repairing tools.
B. He was the only cobbler in the Marais.
C. He was proud of his skills.
D. He was a native Parisian.
69. The sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend. ” (paragraph 7) implies that _______.
A. nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him
B. it was difficult to communicate with this man
C. the man was very strange
D. the man was too old
70. According to the author, many people work just to _______.
A. realize their abilities B. gain happiness
C. make money D. gain respect
71. This story wants to tell us that_______.
A. craftsmen make a lot of money B. whatever you do, do it well
C. craftsmen need self-respect D. people are born equal
| Take Action for a Better World: Volunteers Needed Six months’ preparation in Denmark: Africa studies, team work combined with social work with risk group teenagers. Six months’ community work in Malawi in People to People Projects: Child Aid, HIV / AIDS. Fights and Teacher Training. Qualifications: 18 years, hard working and social engagement. Please contact us by e-mail: takeaction@ betterworld.com. |
| Part-time work with Exchange Students YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange students organization. We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families. The community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding in the community and earn some extra money. Applicants best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication and feel comfortable networking. Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the US. Positions available in most states. If interested, please email staff@ youth. org or call 888—123—9872. |
| International Summer Job Hi, I’m an ESL student in China. I’m 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English. I’m looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country. I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work and cook Chinese dishes. Can anybody offer me a job? I don’t need to earn much, just enough in two months ( July --- August) to pay for my return ticket to China. My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world. My email is: ram3462@ hotmail.com. |
| Call for Native Speaker of English I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment. This experiment is carried out over the Internet. You don’t need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level. The first task will take you around 15 minutes. After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment. The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers. If you are willing to help me, then please email us: club3864@ hotmail.com |
64. Who is suitable to work as a Community Representative in YOUTH International?
A. One who enjoys working with teenagers from different countries.
B. One who hopes to take action in fighting against diseases.
C. One who has a strong desire to improve his or her English.
D. One who wants to earn some pocket money in the program.
65. Where will Jack, a volunteer, receive the training before he is sent to work in Malawi?
A. In some local offices in the US.
B. In an ESL organization in China.
C. In a
preparation program in Demark.
D. In an exchange student center in Africa.
66. If Mrs. Black in the US hopes to learn some Chinese at home, she may contact _______.
A. takeaction@betterworld.com B. ram3462@hotmail.com
C. club3864@hotmail.com D. staff@yout
h.org
67. What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?
A. To interview people online. B. To do some house work.
C. To offer advice on Child Aid D. To provide language exercises.
Have you ever received a gift that was so clearly , not your taste that you wondered if perhaps it had been handed to you by mistake? Worse, have you ever given a present and watched your friend look as though she had opened the wrong box? Maybe she responded with a polite “Why, thank you,” but you knew you had missed the mark. Why do presents sometimes go wrong? And what do your choices (good and had) reflect about your personal qualities?
Choosing the right is an art, I believe. It calls for empathy-the ability to put yourself into someone else’s head and heart. We’
re all able to do this; in fact, we’re born with a kind of natural empathy. After the earliest period of childhood, however, it needs to be reinforced(加强)-by our parents, teachers, friends. When it isn’t, we’re not able to understand other people’s feelings as sharply. This can show in the gifts we select, and so can many other emotional qualities.
Think back to the presents you’ve given over the past year, the time and effort you put into your selection, how much you spent, your thoughts while you were shopping, and your feelings when the receiver opened the package. Keep in mind that what you choose displays your inner world. Of course, you may express yourself differently
with different friends, relatives, and other people you know.
We live in a society where exchanging presents is an importan
t part of communication. Ignoring the tradition won’t make it go away. If you really dislike such a tradition, tell your friends ahead of time.
60. The underlined expression “you had missed the mark” means “you had failed to_________ ”.
A. make her feel better B. keep your friendship
C. receive a present in return D. get the expected effect
61. Which of the following is the main idea of the second paragraph?
A. Natural empathy needs to be reinforced.
B. Emotional changes
influence one’s choice of gifts.
C. Selecting the right gift is an ability people
are born with.
D. Choosing gifts requires one to understand the receivers.
62. In the third paragraph, the author tells us that_____________. .
A. attention should be paid to the receivers’ responses
B. one learns from what he did in the past
C. the choice of girls reflects one’s emotional qualities
D. one should spend more time choosing gifts
63. The best possible title for this passage is “___________”.
A. Ways of Choosing Gifts B. An Important Tradition
C. Exchanging Presents D. Message in a Gift